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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28219101">Rebellion and War</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lokishadownerd/pseuds/lokishadownerd'>lokishadownerd</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Eldia Rising [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, F/M, Gender-Neutral Hange Zoë, Modern Era, Rating May Change, Spoilers, Tags May Change</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 14:48:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,789</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28219101</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lokishadownerd/pseuds/lokishadownerd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>With enemies on both sides, Levi, Hope and their allies have a regime to topple and an empire to fight off. As they make plans to take care of one, the other makes an appearance. Things begin to feel hopeless until secrets come to light that suggest their two enemies may not be as different as originally believed.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Eldia Rising [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2067183</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>: I aged up most of the 104th to at least 19 because I wanted them to have some experience in the Survey Corps but I believe 15 to be far too young to be in the military -especially in a modern setting. However, there are parts of the story that work best with Eren, Armin and Mikasa being 15 (primarily their relationship with Levi, which is represented as more guardian/child than superior/subordinate. I love me some Paternal Levi.), and I adjusted their relationships with the 104th members accordingly.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hope awoke in a hospital bed, and let out a groan as her head throbbed. <br/>“Oh good, you’re awake,” a woman said softly. Hope recognized her as Nifa Rhoan, one of the nurses that worked at the Underground Clinic. <br/>“I’m at the clinic? Why am I-.” Hope felt a stabbing pain in her back, “Oh,” she said, “That’s why… How long was I out?” <br/>“Two days.”<br/>“Two days? Shit.”<br/>“Yep,” Nifa said, continuing to whisper. Hope gave her a questioning look.<br/>“Why are you whispering?” The nurse nodded her head toward the other side of Hope’s bed. She turned to see Levi, fully healed, sound asleep in a chair beside her, one leg crossed over the other and one arm hanging over the back of the chair. Nifa left and Hope watched the gentle movement of the man’s shoulders as he breathed. She decided she kind of liked looking at him. <br/>“What?” Hope turned away, face burning as Levi opened one eye, catching her in the act.<br/>“N-nothing,” she said, “You uh… feeling okay?”<br/>“Never better,” Levi said, “You?” <br/>“I’ve had worse. Where is everyone else?” <br/>“No idea what the brats are up to, but I’ll bet Hange is giving Erwin and his friends a scientific lecture.”<br/>“Oh dang, I’m missing out,” Hope said with exaggerated disappointment, “How’d it come to that?” <br/>“Someone made the mistake of asking Shitty Glasses what they knew about Titans,” Levi said, “Guess who got their hands on the Project Titanfall files?” <br/>“’Shitty Glasses’?” Levi shrugged and Hope chuckled. “I am suddenly not so sorry that I lost two days,” she said, “Though I wouldn’t mind taking a look at the files, myself.” <br/>“Well, Hange’s still got Ilse’s computer, good luck prying it from them,” Levi said. Hope was about to respond when Nifa appeared in the doorway, carrying a tray of food.<br/>“Ooh, food!” At the sight of the grilled cheese, tomato soup, sliced apple and cup of tea, Hope realized she was very hungry. She thanked Nifa, who gave her a ‘no problem’ and left. “So,” she said, after taking a few bites of her sandwich, “What happened?” Levi suddenly looked uncomfortable. He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, looking down as he rested his forearms on his thighs. “Levi?”<br/>“What… do you remember?” Hope thought for a moment, sipping her tea.<br/>“After I got shot… there was a scuffle and then… I heard you,” she frowned, “You were saying names. I heard… at least three that I didn’t recognize before I passed out. Levi,” Hope looked at the man beside her bed, “Who’s names were they?” <br/>“It doesn’t matter,” Levi said, quietly. Hope thought it did, but she decided not to press the issue for the time being. <br/>“What happened to Reiss?” <br/>“I beat him to death.” <br/>“Ah.” An awkward silence stretched between them, but was soon broken by a blonde head poking through the door. <br/>“Dr. Carter?” It was Armin, “Um, Nurse Rhoan told us you were awake…”<br/>“Come on in,” Hope said, glad for the interruption. The boy entered, followed by Eren and Mikasa. They each greeted her politely and drew some chairs to the side of her bed opposite Levi. “How have you guys been holding up?”<br/>“Everyone’s been really nice,” Armin said, “Dr. Zoe brought me some books!”<br/>“Yeah, cause you’re a nerd,” Eren teased. Armin shrugged as if to say ‘so be it’. <br/>“Nothing wrong with being a nerd, Eren,” Hope said, “I’m a nerd, most of my friends are nerds…”<br/>“That’s for sure, Dr. Zoe’s been talking about Titans non-stop for the last two days.” Eren’s face became pleading, “Please make it stop.” <br/>“Sorry, kiddo, the Hange train has no brakes,” Hope said, laughing, “You get used to it.” <br/>“They wanted to do tests on us,” Mikasa said, “But Levi wouldn’t let them.”<br/>“Yeah… they do have a tendency to forget tact in favor of getting answers, they don’t mean any harm, though.” Hope hissed in pain as she tried to put her tray on the table beside her, and Armin was quick to do it for her. “Thanks.”<br/>	The kids stayed for a little longer, chatting about all the things they had been able to do that they hadn’t in years. See the sun, for example. Although they were staying in the Underground for their own safety, they were taken outside from time to time, usually to places that were relatively unpopulated. Levi and the kids’ faces were plastered all over the news in connection with the attack on the ORI. Luckily, the government had no friends in the Underground.  <br/>“They’re saying that we were kidnapped,” Mikasa said, “And that we have to be returned to the Institute as soon as possible because otherwise we’ll die of some kind of disease.”<br/>“It’s pretty smart when you think about it,” Armin said, “They certainly know how to create a sense of urgency.”  <br/>	They talked for a little longer and eventually, Levi noticed that Hope was looking sleepy.<br/>“All right, brats,” he said, “Out.” The three said their goodbyes and left without argument. <br/>“You don’t have to stay here,” Hope said, drowsily, “When was the last time you ate?” <br/>“Don’t worry about it.”<br/>“You should know by now, that’s not something I’m capable of.” Levi frowned. Having someone express concern about his wellbeing was… weird. He’d been on his own since he was eleven. His uncle, Kenny, had taken him in after his mother’s death, but only spent enough time with him to feed him and teach him how to fight, finally abandoning Levi when he was thirteen. From that point on, he’d eked out a living picking pockets and robbing people at knife-point. Even when he had his gang, he was their leader and it was his job to look out for them.  <br/>	He looked back at Hope, who had since fallen asleep. It struck Levi -and not for the first time- how pretty she was. Her honey-colored hair, her full lips, her rosy skin, her soft curves -that no doubt masked powerful muscles-, those warm, captivating, brown eyes of hers… he looked away, almost afraid that his gaze would wake her up. He exited the room to find something to eat. <br/>	His thoughts continued to stray to Hope as he left the clinic and wandered outside. Her looks were far from her only merit. She was selfless to the point of self-destruction, kind to the point of stupidity, intelligent and level-headed in a crisis. It didn’t hurt that she was as scrupulous in her cleaning habits as he was. Levi never really had the time or energy for a luxury like romance in the past, but now he found himself feeling… something. Something he wasn’t sure what to do with. The feeling had come to a head two days ago, when Hope had taken a bullet meant for him.</p><p>“Hope!” Hange’s voice cried out from behind him and Levi looked up in alarm to see the woman, face-down on the floor, in a pool of her own blood. Hope… she was hurt, and Levi had been so blinded by rage that he hadn’t noticed. He flew to her side, gently turning her over and found that she was unconscious. Hange was at her other side, taking off their jacket and pressing it to the bullet wound. <br/>“Hold this,” they said, “We need to keep pressure on it.” Levi swallowed heavily as he did as he was told and Hange removed their overshirt, tearing it into strips. Erwin gave his own shirt as well, and soon they had a good pile of makeshift bandages. “Don’t suppose any of you have a tampon?” The two girls flushed and shook their heads. “Too bad, their original purpose was for bullet wounds, I really should have brought a first-aid kit…,” Hange said, half to themself as they removed their jacket from the wound and tightly wrapped Hope in the bandages. “That should do it for now,” they said, standing, “Levi, do you think you can carry her?” Levi shook his head; as much as he wanted to, he didn’t think he could. His injuries were still healing and he didn’t trust himself not to drop her.<br/>“I’ve got her,” Eren volunteered, and he lifted her, bridal style.<br/>“Be careful,” Hange said, “And try to keep your arm on it.” Eren shifted his hold in such a way that his forearm kept pressure on the wound. Meanwhile, Mikasa had patted down Rod’s body and found his access card. <br/>“Good thinking,” Armin said, “I have a thought, though it could be a shot in the dark.” The others turned to him, “There used to be more test subjects,” he said, “Some of whom said they were from the Underground. Now, they might have been brought here from the surface, but it’s just as likely that there is a passage somewhere that leads directly to and from the Underground.” <br/>“That is certainly possible, but we need to move quickly,” Erwin said, “Ilse?”<br/>“I’ve got it,” she said. Ilse opened her computer and inserted a thumb drive onto which she’d copied the Institute’s secret files: including a detailed map of the facility. “Found it,” she said, finally, “There’s a passage that looks like it could go to the Underground, I can’t be certain though.” <br/>“It’s worth a shot,” Hange said, and the group followed Ilse as she led the way to the door she’d discovered. Using Rod’s access card, they opened it to find themselves in none other than the Underground Clinic.     <br/>	Hange gave Moblit quite a start as they entered the clinic through a door in the main office that he’d never seen opened, followed by several others, one of whom was carrying an injured woman. Upon seeing Hope, Moblit shook off his shock and called for a nurse to bring a gurney. Hange only had time to explain that Hope had been shot and where before she was whisked away into surgery. </p><p>	Levi brought a hand to his chest, recalling the pain he’d felt watching as Hope was wheeled away. He’d tried to follow but Hange stopped him, telling him that he wouldn’t be allowed in the operating room. They then told them all where to find a place to sleep and suggested they get some rest. Erwin, Ilse and the kids did so gladly, but Levi -despite being dead on his feet- refused. He’d waited until Hope was brought out of surgery and planted himself firmly at her bedside, insisting on remaining there until she awoke -before passing out for three hours. Hange had watched intently as Levi’s wounds disappeared in a cloud of steam until they were dragged away by Moblit. For two days Levi had eaten and slept in his chair -though the latter was a very rare occurrence after the initial three hours of sleep he’d gotten- leaving only to bathe once (much to the surprise of Eren, Armin and Mikasa, who were used to him bathing at least once a day). Hange had popped in a couple of times to chat about what was going on with the others and the plans they were making. They asked him why he was being so adamant in his desire to stay at the woman’s side, and he’d said that she’d done the same for him and he was just returning the favor. However, that wasn’t entirely true. For some reason, he felt the strange ache in his chest lesson somewhat when he was in her presence. The pain… it was somehow different from what he’d felt when he’d lost Isabel and Furlan, and different from how he’d felt whenever a child was killed.  <br/>	Levi was pulled from his thoughts quite abruptly as the smell of food hit him and he looked up to find himself outside a dingy pub. Looked like he still knew his way around his old home despite being gone for six years. It suddenly struck him that he didn’t have any money and he sighed. He was turning around to leave when Erwin appeared, followed by seven people Levi didn’t recognize who were all wearing military uniforms emblazoned with the Survey Corps’ wing insignia. <br/>“Ah, Levi!” The one-armed man smiled jovially at Levi as he approached. “We were just on our way to get some food between strategy meetings,” he said, “Did you just eat?” Before Levi could answer, his stomach rumbled. Loudly. “Why don’t you join us,” Erwin said, acting as if he hadn’t heard the sound, “I’ll treat you.” As little as Levi wanted to spend time with such a large group of people, he didn’t have much of a choice if he wanted to eat.  <br/>	They filed in, and found a table. Levi looked around, finding he remembered the place. He was pretty sure he’d won an arm-wrestling match here a long time ago, and gotten a tin of expensive tea for it. After they’d ordered, Erwin introduced the soldiers. <br/>“This is Commander Miche Zacharius,” he said, gesturing to a tall man in his early thirties who was currently making Levi very uncomfortable as he sniffed him, “He’s got a nose like no other, it’s how he got the nickname ‘The Bloodhound’.” <br/>“Charmed,” Levi said with absolutely no sincerity, pushing the man’s face away from him. Zacharius let out a small snort of laughter through his nose and smirked. <br/>“This is Captain Nanaba Bakker,” Erwin continued, nodding to a woman who looked a bit younger than Zacharius, with short, blonde hair and a serious expression, “The rest are members of the 104th Squad: Lieutenant Jean Kirschtein, Officers Marco Bolt and Connie Springer, and Sergeants Sasha Braus, Ymir Schmitt and Krista Lenz.” Levi raised an eyebrow slightly, he may not know too much about the military, but none of the people Erwin had just introduced looked much older than 20. They’d certainly climbed the ranks quickly for having been full-fledged soldiers no longer than two years. Erwin seemed to know what Levi was thinking. “They were all in the battle to retake Shiganshina almost a year ago,” he said, “It was a hard-won fight and very few soldiers made it back alive.”                     <br/>“I see,” Levi said. That explained the haunted look in the soldiers’ eyes. He couldn’t help but question why neither he nor any of the other Titanfall subjects were deployed for a mission like that, it was why they were created after all. Not that he was complaining. Although he wouldn’t have objected to being sent off to fight the Marleyan Titan soldiers, heads would have rolled if they tried to force the kids into battle, his own life be damned. He wondered how many Eldian soldiers it had taken to bring down a single Titan. It wasn’t a pleasant thought. “Why are they here?”<br/>“The Survey Corps’ popularity sky-rocketed after their win in Shiganshina,” Nanaba said, “Having them as the face of the operation will bring favor over to our side.” <br/>“So, the plan is to win over the public?”<br/>“That’s a big part of it,” Erwin said, “We need to get the current regime out of office, through the judicial system if we can. Problem is, most judges can’t be trusted because they’re in Fritz’s pocket. Should it come down to it, we’re working on a more… forceful back-up plan.” <br/>“Well, the Underground isn’t against you, for whatever that’s worth,” Levi said, “Which probably isn’t much.” <br/>“That’s good to know. I’ll keep that in mind.”<br/>	The food came and any further conversation was forgotten. Levi gave the poorly-washed cutlery he was expected to eat with a disdainful look, but as they say: beggars can’t be choosers. He didn’t remember this particular pub’s bratwurst being almost tasty, nor their sauerkraut being of better-than-terrible quality. Even the beer was tolerable. Perhaps the place had become more successful in the past six years. <br/>Levi looked around at the faces of the others, and their expressions made it clear that they were accustomed to better food; it was almost laughable. You think this is bad, he thought, you should have been here six years ago. Back then, the food had been even less palatable, though still considered almost luxurious in the Underground. Levi stared at his plate, recalling the last time he’d been here. <br/>He’d been with Isabel and Furlan, they’d managed to come into a bit more money than usual and so treated themselves to pub food. The owner was challenging people to arm-wrestling matches, promising a free meal and anything in the pub of the winner’s choosing as the prize. Even his wife, much to her chagrin. The man had beaten seven challengers before Levi stepped up. The owner had mocked Levi, clearly believing his strength to be proportionate to his petite form, which proved foolish. Levi won, easily, and he’d approached the bar where the pub owner’s wife stood. He decided to mess with them a little and let them think that he was going for the woman, but ended up reaching for a tin of tea just behind her. He almost smiled at the memory of the woman’s blushing face as her husband begged him not to take her. That had been some damn good tea.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next time Hope awoke, she was alone. As much as she missed having Levi around, she was glad that he was finally taking time for himself. One of the nurses, a bespectacled man named Abel Liszt, looked in on her and changed her bandages. Not long after, Erwin, Nanaba and Miche came by.<br/>“Commander,” Hope said, her right fist reflexively coming up to her chest in a salute, “Whups…” Miche waved his hand.<br/>“It’s a hard habit to break, isn’t it,” Erwin said, teasing. <br/>“Shut up, stubby, you don’t have a right arm,” Hope said, making the man laugh, “So, what have you guys been up to?” <br/>	Erwin got her up to speed about what he and his friends had uncovered about Project Titanfall and about the regime’s other illegal acts that they were investigating. He described all the ideas he had about the best way to achieve their goals.  <br/>“I may even have a part for Levi to play,” he said, “We bumped into him when we went out to eat.”  <br/>“He smelled like lavender,” Miche commented. <br/>“That doesn’t surprise me,” Hope said. One of the soaps the clinic kept in stock was lavender-scented, as it was inexpensive and soothing. Most of the men she knew stayed away from it as they didn’t want to smell like flowers, but Levi struck her as someone who wasn’t afflicted with a problem like fragile masculinity. He’d used her lavender body wash when he’d taken a shower back at her apartment. <br/>“He’s an… interesting person,” Nanaba said. Hope chuckled.<br/>“You mean he’s rude and abrasive,” she said. The other woman shrugged. “He’s got his charm.” <br/>“If you say so.”<br/>“Sounds like your plans have been slow in coming,” Hope said, changing the subject, “Thought you’d have something more concrete by now.”<br/>“Putting together a solid case is harder than you’d think,” Erwin explained, “There’s a lot more involved than just gathering evidence.” <br/>“Have you found someone to present all this to?”<br/>“We’re looking into Premier Zacklay, we think he might be trustworthy.” Hope hummed and nodded. Darius Zacklay was the Commander-in-Chief of the three regiments. One of his jobs was to act as judge in most military matters; he was known to be strict, but logical and fair. <br/>“A judge from the military may send the wrong message though,” Hope said.<br/>“We might not have another choice.” <br/>“You mentioned Levi?” Erwin nodded.<br/>“The Underground could make a useful ally, especially given Reiss’s crimes,” he said, “If he’s willing, I believe Levi would make a good representative for its people.” <br/>“Levi representing the Underground…” Hope ran a hand through her hair, thinking about the attention he’d probably be getting. He’d hate that, but… “I guess we’ll see.” <br/>“If that doesn’t work -and even if it does, I’d love to induct him into the Survey Corps,” Erwin said, “Did you know that he and his gang were known for their use of ODM gear?”<br/>“Really? He never mentioned it,” Hope said. <br/>“I’ve never seen it for myself, but I still hear the MPs talking about him even nowadays. My old friend, Commander Nile Dawk, uses Levi’s capture as his claim to fame.” <br/>	Hope thought for a moment. Levi certainly had the kind of body an ODMG user would die for: small and muscular with a well-positioned center of gravity. She suddenly really wanted to see him in action.<br/>“Do you think he could be convinced to use his strength for the sake of Eldia?” Hope cringed internally at Erwin’s wording. Levi had used a very similar phrase when he described how he and his friends ended up as part of Project Titanfall. <br/>“If you do end up asking him,” she said, “Just don’t use the words ‘for the sake of Eldia’ okay?” Erwin raised an eyebrow, but didn’t question it. <br/>	The four moved on to lighter conversation topics, such as the more human side of the Survey Corps. Nanaba had many stories about her squad, Squad 104. Hope laughed -even though it hurt- as the Captain described Sasha and her bottomless pit of a stomach. <br/>“She’s even dating a chef, some second-generation Marleyan named Nicolo Russo,” Nanaba said, “I think she’s just in it for the food, but the guy is besotted with her.” <br/>“A match made in heaven,” Miche said, “He always smells like olive oil.” <br/>“Then there’s Connie ‘Minesweeper’ Springer,” Nanaba continued, “He simultaneously has the best luck and the worst luck.” She shook her head, “He frequently stumbles onto mines and IEDs, but he always seems to get out of the way just in time. The worst injury he got was the loss of an eyebrow. Just the one. I still have no idea how he did it.” The woman went on, talking about Krista and Ymir, who everyone thought would make an adorable couple, and the possible sexual tension between Jean and Marco. “They could just be good friends, or they could just be a couple of pussies who are afraid to ask the other if they’re gay,” she said, “It has yet to be determined.” Hope snorted. She remembered the guessing games she and her squad members would play regarding who was into whom in the Survey Corps, who had fucked and who hadn’t. To this day, she still didn’t know for sure if Miche and Nanaba ever got together, neither of them would give her a definitive answer. <br/>	They talked for a little while longer until Nifa came by and made the three leave. <br/>“We’ll try to keep you posted,” Erwin said as he left. Nanaba and Miche said their well-wishes and suddenly Hope was alone again. She sighed. Who knew I’d miss being in the military? She wondered what Levi was doing. </p><p>	Hope awoke to find Levi beside her once again; she didn’t even realize she’d fallen asleep. The man appeared to be reading. <br/>“Hey,” she said, and Levi looked up.<br/>“’Morning,” he said.<br/>“Is it?”<br/>“Yeah, it’s about 8AM.”<br/>“Shit, I’ve gotten more sleep these past three days than I’ve gotten in the last five years.” Levi gave her a questioning look -it struck her that she was getting quite skilled at reading the minute changes in his expression, “Insomnia,” Hope said, shortly.<br/>“You too, huh?” <br/>“So,” the woman said, “What are you reading?” Levi suddenly looked embarrassed.<br/>“I… don’t know,” he said, “Armin left it.” Hope took a closer look at the book in his hands and noticed that the letters she could see weren’t Eldian.<br/>“You can’t read Marleyan, huh?” <br/>“I-,” Levi cleared his throat, “I can’t read much of anything.” <br/>“Oh…,” Hope said, she knew most people who lived in the Underground were illiterate but, “They didn’t teach you at the Institute?”<br/>“Easier to control a weapon that isn’t educated,” Levi said, bitterly. “Armin tried… he taught me part the alphabet before they stopped him.”<br/>“What’s stopping him now?”<br/>“I don’t… I don’t want him or the other kids to worry about me,” he said, “They’re free for the first time in five years, they deserve to do their own thing.” Hope smiled, Levi was such a softie.          <br/>“Well, I’m probably not going to be doing a whole lot for the next week or so,” she said, “I could try teaching you, not sure how good at it I’ll be but…”<br/>“Don’t worry about-.” Levi cut himself off, and sighed in resignation, knowing it would be pointless to argue, “Fine.”<br/> “Think about it this way,” the woman said, “I’m already bored to tears, you’ll be doing me a favor.” Levi almost smiled. “But,” she continued, raising a finger, “I’d like you to tell me something.” The man quirked an eyebrow. “The names, who’s names were you screaming when you beat the shit out of Reiss?” Levi sighed.<br/>“There were… other kids brought in with Eren, Armin and Mikasa,” he said, reluctantly, “There were adults that came and went, people from the Underground but… it was so much worse when a kid died.”<br/>“Fuck…,” Hope breathed, a hand over her mouth. <br/>“They all died. Torn to pieces by their friends. Eren and Armin don’t remember the kids they killed and I plan to keep it that way.” Hope reached forward and placed a hand over Levi’s where it sat on his knee, and he jerked his head up to look at her. She was smiling softly. <br/>“Thank you for telling me,” she said. Levi bowed his head and didn’t reply, but he lifted his free hand and set it on top of hers. She then leaned back onto her pillows and dozed off a moment later. Levi didn’t let go of her hand.  </p><p>	Over the next few days, Hope taught Levi how to read and write between visits from her friends. Erwin, Miche and Nanaba stopped in from time to time, Eren, Armin and Mikasa made a couple appearances, and -to Hope’s surprise-, the now Squad Leader Gerard Lehmann came by. It was a bittersweet reunion, as Allyson Moore had died in the battle to retake Shiganshina nearly a year ago. <br/>	While Hope was visiting with Gerard, Levi decided to spend some time with the kids. <br/>“Oh no, I completely forgot,” Armin said when Levi mentioned his lessons with Hope, “I’m sorry.”<br/>“Don’t be,” Levi said, ruffling the boy’s blonde hair, “That’s what I intended. I wanted you brats to have some time to yourselves. Oi,” he turned to Mikasa, “Cough up your ones.” The girl frowned as she handed over the cards. The four of them were sitting in the dingy lounge of the tavern they were staying in, playing a card game. Hope, Hange and Erwin had pooled what resourced they could spare to make sure that Eren, Armin, Mikasa and Levi would have somewhere to live until it was safe for them to leave the Underground. The three retired soldiers were quite well-off financially, so they were hardly scraping the bottom of the barrel, but the kids and Levi still felt a bit awkward about receiving their charity, especially Levi, who hated depending on others. <br/>“Eren, Armin, Mikasa!” The four looked up as a voice called to them from the tavern’s entrance, and spotted a Garrison soldier with close-cropped, blonde hair and a bit of a mustache. <br/>“Hannes?” Eren’s face lit up along with Armin’s and Mikasa’s. They got up and ran toward the man, who was grinning.<br/>“Wow,” he said, looking like he was about to cry, “They told me you were dead! You guys sure have grown!” Levi got up and made to leave, wanting to give the kids time with their old friend, when Hannes’ voice called him back. “Wait, Levi was it?” Levi didn’t answer, but he didn’t move either.<br/>“Yeah, that’s Levi,” Eren answered for him, “He’s the one who looked out for us!” Hannes approached the younger man.<br/>“I just wanted to thank you for taking care of them,” he said, holding out his hand, “Eren’s dad was a close friend of mine, you see.” <br/>“Sure,” Levi said, not taking the offered hand. He turned to the three kids, “I’ll be at the clinic.”<br/>“Okay,” they said together as he left. Hannes watched him go, wearing a look of dismay and confusion.<br/>“Was it something I said?”<br/>“No, don’t worry,” Armin assured him, “He’s just shy.”<br/>“And a germaphobe,” Eren said, he then seemed to remember something, “Oh right, he’s Mikasa’s cousin, too!”<br/>“Second cousin,” Mikasa said, “He’s an Ackerman, too.”<br/>“Is that right,” Hannes said, “Anyway, you guys hungry? I’ll buy you some food.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi! Welcome to part 2 of my story. I only have a couple chapters of this one, but I promise I'm working on it. There's a lot of history and world-building in these chapters so I'm sorry if it seems forced an awkward. I do have great plans for this part.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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